Interesting posts and Ufer subject
Interesting posts and Ufer subject
Interesting posts and Ufer subject here. It goes against the intent of the NEC to install a section of rebar directly into the panel and I would not recommend this method; this would imply the rebar is a conductor (studies have demonstrated that 1/2” steel rebar actually does conduct electricity at an equivalent or similar capacity to a #4 Ga copper, but it is not a listed conductor at any voltage per se, only to be allowed when utilized within the special confines of a concrete footer of at least twenty feet in length with minimum steel ties to “other” rebar in the footer assembly as an approved “conductor”) and the grounded conductors entering a panel must terminate within a panel, per 408.21, in an individual terminal...and certain bending radiuses, dissimilar metal types...would, in like manor, be difficult to rationalize as being acceptable.
Now I will attempt to examine the condition of having an “approved” rebar conductor within the footer and a listed grounded conductor in the panel; with a certainty that somewhere between these points an approved connection must be made between these two. The NEC does not specifically allow a section of rebar to protrude from the footer when used as a grounding conductor nor does it prohibit this situation. There we have it; the code is as clear as mud for this all too common scenario. This is one of the rare opportunities to use good judgment.
For the original poster; I would suggest the following as being acceptable. Eliminate the temptation for thieves to remove a copper conductor within an exposed footer by using an approved alternate of at least twenty foot section of half-inch rebar. Simply tie the subject rebar along its length to other rebar present in the footer base and bend (twelve inch radius) the subject rebar to ninety degrees at a location nearby the proposed electrical service location, allowing for the subject rebar to protrude about twelve inches above the concrete. It should be attempted to position this protruding portion between stud bays so the electrical contractor can more easily access this location for connection and so the this section is not exposed to the exterior or unnecessary corrosion. This common sense method utilizes the footer contractor’s tools and materials at hand and permits future access to the Ufer termination should the need arise.
